The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of evergreen perennial Dianella tasmanica, which has been named ‘DT23’. It is anticipated that the plant of this invention will be marketed under the tradename Emerald Arch. Dianella are a genus of ornamental grass-like plants in the Phormiaceae family. In general, Dianella tasmanica has flax-like leaves. Pale blue flowers on stems up to 40 cm high typically develop in spring and early summer and are followed by green berries that become bluish-purple.
Lineage: The cultivar ‘DT23’ was discovered in 1996 in Clarendon, New South Wales, Australia, during a seedling selection of cultivated Dianella tasmanica. The new variety originated from open pollinated parent plants and subsequent selection of a distinctive seedling from the resulting progeny as part of a breeding program. The breeding program used assisted open pollination with occasional shaking of inflorescences to promote pollen transfer. The parent (D. tasmanica, ecotype from southern tablelands of new South Wales, Australia) is characterized by green leaf color, medium leaf width, medium leaf arching, absent to very weak leaf glaucosity, and a red-brown basal leaf sheath color. The selection criterion for ‘DT23’ was broad leaf width.
Asexual reproduction: The new variety, Dianella tasmanica ‘DT23’, was first asexually propagated by vegetative division in the state of New South Wales, Australia in September 1997 and has been asexually propagated since that time by division and micropropagation. The distinctive characteristics of cultivar ‘DT23’ have remained stable and true to type through successive cycles of asexual propagation.